ICMI16 – update

We had expected to make an announcement on the ICMI16 venue and dates w/c 7 December, but that proved impossible. Negotiations with suitable venues were protracted, and in the last few days we’ve been negotiating with two venues. In both cases financial viability was assured, given the level of interest shown by pre-registrations, but the venues were inflexible on some key contract terms, so we couldn’t proceed.

Our search continues, in parallel with a venue finding service for which we are not paying (the company gets its income from commissions paid by venues). I remain optimistic that we’ll sign a contract before long, hopefully before the end of January. In the meantime, our advice remains the same:

Do not book travel or accommodation before we’re certain ICMI16 will proceed, and we’ve announced the venue and dates.

One striking feature of our venue search so far has been that there are suitable venues in London which are marketed poorly, if at all. One key requirement for a venue is that it must have an auditorium capable of holding at least 250 people, ideally with tiered seating, for good audience visibility.